Archive | Monthly Gathering

On October 4, 1957, in an unprecedented display of technology, the Soviet Union caught the world’s attention, with the orbiting of Sputnik, the earth’s first artificial satellite. This shiny metal ball, only 23 inches in diameter circled the earth every 96 minutes, beeping out a radio signal that proclaimed the USSR’s technical superiority to the world. This event marked a milestone in a competition between the USA and USSR, which had begun in 1945, at the end of World War II, and would not end until July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong took ”one small step for a man” on the moon. This presentation reviews the circumstances, events and the personalities of that epic struggle for political, military, and technical dominance in Rocket Science, which was a highlight of the “Cold War”, and captured the imagination of the world for over 30 years.

Guiding us on our trip through the cosmos will be, Jim Shedlowsky, a former Warren Astronomical Society treasurer and rockabilly legend. Jim worked for 36 years at General Motors as a Vehicle Development Engineer/Manager, retiring in 1999. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960 with a degree in Engineering Physics and spent two years as an Artillery officer in the US Army in Germany. In his spare time, he wrote and recorded music for Epic and Roulette Records as one of the “Skee Brothers”.

Jim’s astronomical interests include observing and outreach, and he owns several telescopes, but in recent years his “passion” for astronomical history and technology has become a major factor. He is a member of the McMath-Hulbert Astronomical Society, has visited a number of major observatories, and has assembled a significant library in this regard. Jim and his wife winter in Mesa, Arizona (…a great place for observing), where he participates in the activities of the East Valley Astronomy Club.

Join us on Saturday October 21 to learn more about the space race and to hear Jim sing “The Rocket Science Song”. Doors open
at 7:00pm. The program begins at 8:00pm.

DATE
Saturday, October 21, 2017

TIME
Mingling begins at 7:00pm, program at 8:00pm

ADMISSION (Exact change appreciated)
Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets for $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission
in the month of their birthday

Join us for an entertaining and informative evening designed to help raise awareness of one of the most prevalent, yet little known and under-reported types of crimes. Sadly, scams are also crimes that are often perpetrated upon our most vulnerable populations; the poor and elderly. Learn how to not be a victim of: utility worker impersonators, pigeon drops, police impersonators, computer and phone scams, and more! Our guest presenter, Robert Haig, a 27-year
veteran of the Detroit Police Department, will relate his first-hand experiences with these most insidious crimes; from identifying, to targeting and surveillance, to final prosecution.

Robert Haig was born and raised in southwest Detroit. At the age of twenty-five, he joined the Detroit Police Department and remained on the force for twenty-seven years. He walked away from a career he truly loved, bitter over the politics and inept command structures he had witnessed, and decided to write a book. Choosing the title was easy, as he had ten different
chiefs in his first twenty-five years of service. According to Mr. Haig, some were good, most were horrible. “Ten Little Police Chiefs” is his story.

Forewarned is forearmed! Join us on Saturday September 16 to learn more about scams, why they are so effective, and yet often go unreported! Actual items recovered from suspects being investigated will be available for your examination.

DATE
Saturday, September 16, 2017

TIME
Mingling begins at 7:00pm, program at 8:00pm

ADMISSION (Exact change appreciated)
Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets for $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission
in the month of their birthday

Have you ever shoplifted? About 1 out of 10 Americans shoplift regularly and 90% have shoplifted at least once.

Committed dishonesty in the workplace? 75% of Americans have committed some form of dishonesty in the workplace

Overshopped or overspent? Roughly 10% of Americans will experience a period of compulsive shopping, spending or buying.

Been embarrassed by your clutter and had a hard time letting go of things? 5% of Americans will suffer from a hoarding disorder.

Well, if you answered no to all of these, then you’re even more rare than a Mensa member! Most of us have either had some issues with–or known someone who had some issues with–stealing, spending and/or hoarding.

To learn more, join us on Saturday, August 19, when our guest speaker–attorney, addictions therapist, author and consultant– Terrence Shulman, founder and director of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft & Spending, will guide us through an overview of these disorders.

A native Detroiter and longtime Southfield resident, Mr. Shulman has been featured on over 100 TV shows, notably CNN News, Fox Cable News, The Today Show, 48 Hours, The Discovery Channel, Oprah, and numerous local news programs. He’s written and published 4 books on addiction-recovery topics, including his latest from 2011: “Cluttered Lives, Empty Souls: Compulsive Stealing, Spending and Hoarding.” Mr. Shulman presents seminars and speaks at conferences both locally and nationally. And in 1992, he founded the support group C.A.S.A. (Cleptomaniacs And Shoplifters Anonymous)–one of the first groups of its kind–here in Southfield. C.A.S.A. now has 8 weekly groups meeting in Michigan, about 15 chapters in other states across the U.S., as well as online and phone support groups.
See more info at: www.theshulmancenter.com

DATE
Saturday, August 19, 2017

TIME
Mingling begins at 7:00pm, program at 8:00pm

ADMISSION (Exact change appreciated)
Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets for $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission
in the month of their birthday

Author Tom Stanton will discuss his New York Times bestseller Terror in the City of Champions. Named as a 2017 Notable Book by the Library of Michigan, Terror… tells a true story of murder, baseball, and the nefarious Black Legion secret society that flourished in mid-1930s Detroit. The book opens with the arrival of Mickey Cochrane, a fiery baseball star who rouses the Great Depression’s hardest-hit city by leading the Tigers to the 1934 pennant. A year later he guides the team to its first championship. Within seven months the Lions and Red Wings follow —all while Joe Louis chases boxing’s heavyweight crown. Amidst such unrivaled sports glory, the Klan-like Black Legion is executing a wicked plan of terror, murdering enemies, bombing meeting places, flogging associates, and contemplating armed rebellion. Among its tens of thousands of members are politicians and prominent citizens. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss has called Terror in the City of Champions a “captivating slice of American history.” Columnist George F. Will has praised it as well, and in a starred review Kirkus commended it as “first-rate reporting and a seminar in how to employ context in investigative and historical journalism.”

Tom Stanton is author of several books of nonfiction, including the critically acclaimed Tiger Stadium memoir The Final Season and the Quill Award finalist Ty and The Babe. A professor of journalism at the University of Detroit Mercy, he is a former Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan. He lives in New Baltimore, Michigan.

Join us Saturday May 20th, to learn more about some of Detroit’s least known, and most sinister, history. Doors open at 7pm. The program begins at 8pm.